The need to make art may not stem solely from the need to express who you are, but from a need to complete a relationship with something outside yourself. As a maker of art you are custodian of issues larger than self.

Yesterday, there was an interesting discussion taking place in the Mosaic Mentoring group on Facebook. The original poster questioned the wisdom behind how we name our mosaic businesses. Specifically, she seemed to make a connection between how we name ourselves and how mosaic, in general, is accepted—or not accepted—within the larger art world.

To this point, I've included three mosaic images above and ask: Which one of these is not like the others? Hold that thought as I will get back to it shortly.

The issue of mosaic being accepted or not, and what the reasons for this might be, is an important discussion, but one that hinges upon a more primary question:

Do you believe that mosaic art is not fully accepted/embraced as a fine art by the broader art world?

If your answer to this question is No, then this discussion is probably not relevant for you.

If your answer is Yes, then the next question to ask would be:

What do you think are the reasons for mosaic art not being fully accepted/embraced as a fine art by the broader art world?

My answer to the first question is Yes, so I'll continue.

My answer to the second question is: Several reasons that I would love to discuss, but I don't think the name we choose for our businesses is necessarily one of them.

So, now I am going to explore some things, based upon a belief that there is a struggle for mosaic art to be generally accepted as a fine art. Again, if you don't care about this question, this conversation is not meant for you.

Back to my earlier question regarding the three mosaics featured at the top of this post: